The Comeback Kid
by Scott's Lauren
Summary: Every successful business woman has her weaknesses...Rory is invited to a big party and gets a huge blast from the past. First chapter edited and second chapter up!
1. Introduction

**The Comeback Kid: ****Every successful business woman has her weaknesses…**

**a/n: I'm back! And I'm so pumped to be writing again! Please R/R!**

The Beginning:

A man wearing only a pair of black printed boxer shorts wandered from the bedroom to the kitchen, lured by the scent of delicious frying bacon. As he turned the corner he saw the bright smile of Rory Gilmore, wearing a light blue silk night gown with her hair tied up in a slightly messy ponytail. He walked up behind her and reached a hand up to play with the short strands of hair that managed to escape. He placed a few kisses on the back of her neck and breathed in her scent.

"Smells good," He whispered in her ear.

"Thanks," She replied, "I love bacon."

"I wasn't talking about the food, but that smells good, also." He pinched her side and she laughed.

"Don't do that while I'm cooking. You could cause me to splash some grease on you and the hot liquid could burn your skin and I don't have the energy to dig through the whole apartment searching for the first aid kit. The whole situation could get messy." She explained to him, talking with her hands. He grabbed hold of the wrist that held the spatula.

"I think I'm more in danger with you swinging this thing around." He took the utensil from her.

"Give that back to me!" She whined; jumping up trying to steal it from his hand he had raised above his head.

"No," he tapped her on the head with it, "You've probably been up all morning…"

"I have not!" She interrupted.

"What time were you up this morning?"

She crossed her arms across her chest and stared down at the fuzzy bunny slippers she was wearing on her feet. "Six o' clock." She admitted. The clock read nine AM. "But— ," she began to protest.

"No," he took her by one of her upper arms and gently moved her away from the stove. "I'm finishing breakfast." He demanded.

She opened her mouth to protest again but figured it wasn't any use. She plopped down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table and began to pout. He smiled at her and turned back to the stove.

"Now, what's on your mind that has you awake at the crack of dawn?" He asked.

"Nothing," She whispered. There was something, but she didn't want to discuss it, she felt stupid worrying about it.

"What is it?" He knew her too well.

She sighed and gave in. "It's starting this new job tomorrow."

"You'll do fine." He told her.

"No, I won't. It's all new people, and a whole new environment. It's like my first day at Chilton all over again. What if they don't like me?" She whined and placed her head in her arms on the table. He shut off the stove and sat down across from her at the table. He took hold of hands and she lifted her head up.

"I already told you, you can do this, and I already told you, you can do this. Obviously you weren't listening." He reassured her.

"Or I didn't believe you." She replied, "You sound like my step-father, he's always saying that to my mother."

"He's a smart man and you should listen to him."

She sighed. "Fine, but that's not going to keep me from being nervous."

"I already told you what I think, now, lets eat." He stood up and went to the cupboard to grab a set of dishes. "Besides," He added, "the editor loves you." He smiled, handing her a plate of food.

"He hasn't even met me." She pointed out.

"No, but he will."

"You know what? Let's not talk about it anymore, moving on."

"Alright." He sat a large mug of coffee in front of her. She took a sip and bit into a piece of bacon. She made a face of disgust.

"What's that for?" He asked.

"It's burnt." She replied, downing another gulp of coffee.

"That's what happens when you argue with me while letting it sit on the stove by itself."

"You started it." She muttered into her mug.

"Did not." He whispered to a fork full of eggs.

She rolled her eyes and ignored him.

"Just promise me one thing." He said.

"What's that?"

"That you'll go into this job with a calm matter."

"I'll try." She agreed.

"Where did I put those?!?" Rory yelled in aggravation. That morning she was going crazy. Her nervousness had her freaking out over the tiniest things. First her hair wouldn't work right, now she couldn't find her keys.

"Now what are you looking for?" He asked, now fully dressed in a navy blue business suit. He emerged from the door while tying his crimson printed tie.

"I can't find my car keys." She was now dumping out the contents of her purse. He finished his tie and dug in his pants pocket.

"You mean these keys?" He dangled them in front of her face. She scowled at him.

"Don't screw with me today, buddy. You know how stressed I am." She snatched them from him. She picked up her things and headed for the door. He grabbed hold of her arm.

"Sweetie, you'll be fine, I promise." He reassured her in a quiet voice.

"You sure?" She asked.

He nodded. "I'm sure, I'm sure."

"I still don't believe you, but let's go." She pulled on his hand.

A/n: Well that's it, please review!!


	2. The Office

Rory stood outside and stared up at the building. She wanted to cry. The place wasn't very big, but to Rory, it was immense. This job was a huge opportunity for her. It was the _New York Times, _the largest newspaper in the country. Granted, she was only an intern but she would work her way up.

She reached out and grabbed hold of the door handle. The cold metal was a small relief for her sweaty palm. She shut her eyes and took in a deep breath and let it out. She pulled open the door and opened her eyes. The inside seemed twice as big as the outside. The place was filled with so much excitement she could have sworn it was the New York Stock Exchange instead of the times. She dug in her pocket for the small sheet of paper she had written the name of the person she was supposed to talk to. She walked up to the nearest desk where a younger man was busy typing away on a computer that looked older than Rory.

"Excuse me." She interrupted.

"Yes." The man answered, not taking his eyes away from the computer screen.

"Where would I find…" Rory read from her piece of paper, "Kennedy Moore?"

"Third floor." He replied quickly. She could sense the irritation in his voice and wandered down the hall to the elevator.

The third floor was one long hallway with one door at the very end. The silence was sort of eerie after being in the busy office downstairs. Rory's footsteps echoed as she approached the office door. She gently tapped the fogged glass window.

"Come in!" shouted a strong male voice from the other side.

She pushed the door open and carefully shut it behind her. The man, she assumed was Kennedy, held a phone to his ear and was leaned back in his desk chair with his feet propped up on top of his desk. He motioned for her to take a seat. While he finished his call Rory took a moment to study the man she was going to be working for. He was younger than she expected. His blonde hair was sticking out in all directions. He had the sleeves of his white collared shirt rolled up to his elbows, exposing his dark tan. She could bet he spent a lot of time outdoors.

He ended his call and placed the phone back on its receiver. He moved his feet and put them back on the floor.

"Good to see you again, Miss Gilmore." He said straightening in his chair.

She nodded, too nervous to talk. She didn't want to say anything stupid. He drummed his palms against a book on his desk. He seemed to be thinking of what to say next.

"So, I guess we'll start you off with reception." He told her as he gathered some papers off his desk.

"Okay." Rory agreed politely. It wasn't where she wanted to be but she had to keep reminding herself it was the _New York Times. _He picked up a few more things and stood up.

"Let me show you where you'll be working." He motioned towards the door. She stood and followed him down the hall. They stepped into the elevator and he pressed the button for second floor. Rory broke the silence.

"Mr. Moore--"

"Please," he interrupted, "Call me Kennedy."

"Okay, Kennedy, I just wanted to thank you so much for giving me this job. I know I was a little older then the other applicants and—"

"Rory, your reporting experience is what got you the job. You should be proud of yourself."

She nodded in response.

The elevator doors opened to the office and she felt her new beginning.


End file.
